


time won't deliver us a resolution

by onelastchence



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, M/M, mentions of branding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25101385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onelastchence/pseuds/onelastchence
Summary: Jongdae's pocket watch ticks on with every command. The Timekeeper may have brought him and Chanyeol together, but Jongdae certainly isn't happy following his word like law.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 15
Kudos: 38
Collections: Challenge #4 — Into the Future





	time won't deliver us a resolution

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to my darling beta for looking through this for me!

“Chanyeol,” Jongdae calls, walking up to his husband, pocket watch in hand. “It’s time for us to meet with our family soon.”

Chanyeol looks up from where he’s fiddling with his guitar to smile at Jongdae. “I know,” He says, gesturing to his own pocket watch lying open on the table. “We have 5 more minutes before we have to get changed. Won’t you come and cuddle for a bit?”

Jongdae smiles sadly at him. “You know we can’t, Chanyeol,” He replies.

The refusal makes the smile drop off of Chanyeol’s face and he goes back to his guitar, but now he’s frowning at it. Jongdae feels awful; denying Chanyeol anything feels especially terrible, but seeing the smile drop off of Chanyeol’s face when he had been so happy was a different matter. He walks up to his husband, sitting next to him on the couch.

“Don’t.”

Jongdae ignores him, shifts closer and rests his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Jongdae whispers. “I want to cuddle you too, you know.”

“You don’t have to follow the Timekeeper’s orders all the way down to the last second,” Chanyeol retorts, brow furrowed. “He’s not omniscient, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge every once in a while.”

“The Timekeeper’s word is absolute, Chanyeol, you know that,” Jongdae says.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, then goes back to fiddling with his guitar. “Whatever.”

Jongdae looks sadly at his pocket watch, watching as the time ticks on. There’s two slots in the pocket watch, given to every citizen on their 12th birthday: the first is the task they must do now, the second the task they must complete after the current one. The pocket watch updates itself with a new task each citizen has to follow, down to the very last second. It’s a law every citizen must abide to; failure to do so will result in Annihilation.

Chanyeol is different, Jongdae thinks. Chanyeol doesn’t think that they have to follow the Timekeeper’s rules, strict as they are. Jongdae disagrees, because he’s since first hand a neighbour dragged out of their house to be Annihilated when he was 16, and he doesn’t want that to ever happen to himself or Chanyeol.

It causes a lot of arguments in their relationship. Jongdae wants nothing more than to cuddle with Chanyeol, wants to be affectionate with his husband just as much as Chanyeol does, but he’s afraid. He’s terrified that one day one of the Timekeeper’s Temple Knights will knock on their door and drag them, kicking and screaming, through the streets and into the Timekeeper’s Temple.

Chanyeol’s pocket watch currently says ‘practice guitar’, and Jongdae doesn’t need to look to know that the second slot says ‘get ready to meet with family’. He looks at Chanyeol, at the distinctive crease between his eyes, and decides he doesn’t want to fight with him. Maybe the Timekeeper will find out and tomorrow they’ll both be dragged off for Annihilation, but if it’s to make Chanyeol happy, it’s worth it.

Jongdae takes the guitar away from Chanyeol, much to his confusion. He sits himself in Chanyeol’s arms instead, leaning forward to bury his face in Chanyeol’s neck. He feels Chanyeol wrap his arms around him to pull him closer. “When I was 16 years old,” Jongdae starts softly. “I was coming home from school and there were a bunch of Temple Knights on the street I lived in.”

“They dragged my neighbour out of her house, kicking and screaming. They branded her, right there on the street, where everyone could see,” Jongdae confesses, shuddering at the memory. “I can still remember her screams, the smell of burning flesh, the angry black ‘heretic’ seared into her back, the crazed look in her eyes when they took her to be Annihilated.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to cuddle you,” Jongdae says. “I do. I want to hold you all the time, want to be as close to you as possible. I’m just scared, Chanyeol. I’m scared that one day I’ll come home and the house the Temple Knights are outside is ours, the person they’re dragging out is you. I love you so much, Chanyeol, I can’t lose you.”

He feels Chanyeol pulling back, doesn’t realise he’s crying until Chanyeol’s thumbs wipe his tears away gently. “I’m sorry,” His husband says. “I didn’t know. I love you too, Jongdae, and sometimes it gets so overwhelming all I want to do is have you close. I’m sorry I got mad. I’ll still always want you, but I won’t put pressure on you. I’m so sorry, Jongdae.”

Jongdae hiccups once, then melts into the kiss that Chanyeol presses to his lips. His husband has been the light of his life ever since the slot in his pocket watch said ‘agree to date Chanyeol’, and he would never give him up for anything.

They meet with Chanyeol’s family, as their pocket watches dictate. Jongdae watches as Chanyeol loosens up just a little, falling into easy banter with his older sister, and smiles. This is the smile he wants to protect for the rest of his life.

They return home, and Jongdae freezes when he realises there’s two men on their doorstep. _No_ , he thinks. _It can’t be._

One of them turns and spots them, breaking out into a grin. It’s strangely angular, his smile, shows off all his teeth. Jongdae’s heart is thumping wildly in his chest, and he pushes Chanyeol behind his back in a desperate, futile attempt to protect him.

“It’s alright,” The other man says, holding both hands up placatingly. He has almond shaped eyes, sharp and bright. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

“Our pocket watches say we should come visit you today,” The first man says cheerfully, holding his pocket watch up to show them.

Jongdae looks at it, startling when he sees that the slot is blank. He feels Chanyeol’s grip on his shoulders, tightening painfully. 

“Okay,” Jongdae says after a pause. “Please, come in.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! the timekeeper requests that you have a wonderful day!


End file.
